Improvement in letter-box cabinets



'J. D. WILLIAMS. Letter-Box Cabinet.-

No. 217,566. Patented July 15, I879.

N. PE-TF-RS. PHDTD UTNOGRAPHEE WASHlNGT ON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOX CABINETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,566, dated July 15,1879; application filed November 22, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES D. WILLIAMS, of the city of Chicago, in Cookcounty, and State of Illinois, have invented a Letter-Box Oabinet, theuse, construction, and operation of which I will proceed to explain,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the top of the casewhen open; Fig. 2,' a central cross-sectional view of the case whenopen; Fig. 3, an end elevation of the case, and Fig. 4: a perspectiveview of a buffer to rub out marks.

The nature and object of my invention is to assist a little child toform words and sentences by the use of letter-blocks, by placing them ina row to spell a word, and by the words to form sentences, by means ofwhich the childs physical powers, as well as its mental powers, arebrought into use, and from the novelty of the arrangement is caused tomore readily learn to spell and read. In order to accomplish this I usea novel arrangement, which, by reference to the drawings and the lettersand figures thereon, I will proceed to explain.

In the drawings, 13 represents a case or box having a floor about midwaybetween the top and bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. Above the floor the boxis divided into square compartments, as shown in Fig. 1, very much likea printers case. These compartments are designed to hold square blocksa, (shown in Figs.

1 and 2,) which blocks have the letters of thealphabet printed on themon one or all their four sides, as may be desired, and arranged in theorder of the alphabet in the several compartments, as A B G D in Fig. 1,&c.

In the space under the floor, and between it and the bottom of the case,cards or tablets e are kept, having script or other lessons on them,which the child may use as a lesson to spell his words from by using theletter-blocks rearranging them in order to spell a word, and to placethe words in a line to form a sentence from the lesson on the tablets 0.These tablets 6 may be readily pulled out by means of the cord '5, whichis arranged to inclose the tablets, as is shown in Fig. 2.

When the case or box B is open, as is shown in Fig. 1, the lid P forms aslate upon which to write or cipher, and is connected to the box B bythe hinge S. In one end of the case B is a compartment, O, in which tokeep pencils, &c., and Fig. 4 represents a buffer or eraser to rub onthe slate, and is designed to be kept in one of the compartments.

The whole box B, or, as it may be called, cabinet, when closed up byfolding the lid P over on the top of the box, as is shown in Fig. 3,forms a very neat and compact arran gement, and may be carried by thestrap-handle n.

It will be perceived that the attention of a child can be easilyobtained, and the manipulation of the letter-blocks amuse as well asinstruct it in such a manner as to be not easily forgotten, thusteaching it to spell and read in a much quicker and easier way than anyother way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

The box B, having the compartments to hold the letter-blocks a, and thelower compartment to hold the tablets e, in combination with theletter-blocks a, slate-lid 1 tablets e, and cord 6, all arranged tooperate substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JAMES D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

Tnos. H. Hucrcnms, PERRY J. HOBBS.

